Washington, D.C.—In response to reports of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee favoring greater funding for charging infrastructure, Securing America’s Future Energy (SAFE) President and CEO Robbie Diamond made the following statement:

“Our transportation sector is dangerously undiversified, currently relying on oil to power 92 percent of our transport system with no alternatives available at scale. Improved funding for charging infrastructure will help make electric vehicles a more appealing option for consumers, in turn providing us with the greater fuel choice the United States so desperately needs.”

The United States is the world’s largest oil consumer, accounting for one-fifth of daily global supply, 70 percent of which is used to power a transport network that is 92 percent dependent on petroleum. This extreme dependence on a volatile commodity leads the U.S. military to spend at least $81 billion every year on securing the global oil supply, placing servicemen and women in harm’s way at flashpoints like the Strait of Hormuz in the process.

“Oil is a globally-priced commodity, meaning events like escalating political tensions in the Middle East that disrupt supply can affect prices everywhere, regardless of how much oil we produce at home. When prices spike, our reliance on oil leaves business and consumers with nowhere to turn. Providing alternatives to our oil dependence are an economic and national security priority, and we commend the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee for taking steps to address this glaring energy security vulnerability,” Diamond added.

To reduce U.S. oil dependence, SAFE advocates for a comprehensive energy policy that not only includes supply-side measures to maximize domestic oil production, but also offers demand-side solutions like modernized fuel economy standards and greater fuel choice. In contrast to oil, U.S. electric vehicles run on a domestically-produced fuel source that is also both diverse in source and stable in price.

About Securing America’s Future Energy

Securing America’s Future Energy (SAFE) is an action-oriented, nonpartisan organization that aims to reduce America’s dependence on oil. Near-total dependence on petroleum in the transportation sector undermines the nation’s economic and national security, and constrains U.S. foreign policy. To combat these threats, SAFE advocates for expanded domestic production of U.S. oil and gas resources, continued improvements in vehicle fuel efficiency, and transportation sector innovations including electric vehicles, natural gas trucks, and autonomous vehicles. In 2006, SAFE joined with General P.X. Kelley (Ret.), 28th Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps, and Frederick W. Smith, Chairman, President, and CEO of FedEx Corporation, to form the Energy Security Leadership Council (ESLC), a group of business and former military leaders committed to reducing the United States’ dependence on oil. Today, the ESLC is co-chaired by Frederick W. Smith and General James T. Conway (Ret), 34th Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps.
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